Young Tasmanian Writers' Prize 2023
A short fiction competition open to all Tasmanians enrolled in Years 7-12.
Sponsored by Forty South Publishing, with the generous support of the Tasmanian Association for the Teaching of English (TATE).
Prizes: Winner of each section receives $300; Two runners up of each section receive a $30 Fullers Bookshop gift voucher; Peter Sharp Memorial Award (awarded in the Junior section): Winner receives $100.
Winning stories will be posted online in the Young Tasmania section of fortysouth.com.au
Winners' schools each receive a one-year subscription to Forty South Tasmania print magazine.
ENTRIES FOR THE 2023 PRIZE HAVE NOW CLOSED. Winners will be announced in October 2023.
Winners: Young Tasmanian Writers' Prize 2023
SENIOR SECTION – Judge, Lian Tanner
WINNER
Michael Reid, The Friends School | Closer Creeps the Dark
Judge’s comments: An utterly accomplished piece of writing that stood out immediately. Mature and emotionally convincing, with a spine-tingling last sentence that left me breathless.
RUNNERS-UP
Grace Winspear, The Friends School | Lone Warrior
Ella Edwards, St Mary’s College | Purpose
Judge’s comments: Two very different pieces stylistically, one rich with metaphor and allusion, the other plainspoken and colloquial. Both styles work beautifully, as both authors delve into the interior of a troubled mind with clarity and compassion.
COMMENDED
Ruby Ball, Scotch Oakburn College | All the Universes of You
Chloe Skinner, Elizabeth College | Cats, Rats and a Moral Dilemma
Zali Ray, Helleyer College | The Threshold
JUNIOR SECTION - Judge, Lucy Christopher
WINNER
Chloe Bedford, St Michael’s Collegiate | The Regular Man
Judge’s comments: What a powerful story! This piece was told with a great sense of foreshadowing, build, and pace, and I read on swiftly to find out the answers to all the questions the author raises. There is a strong sense of purpose and theme to the piece too. I was left wondering about it long after I finished reading it.
PETER SHARP MEMORIAL AWARD – Judge, Penny Lane
Georgia Thurling, St Mary's College | The Forest of Time
Judge’s comments: I am awarding the 2023 Peter Sharp Award to The forest of time, a story told beautifully in the form of a poem divided into parts, each titled like a chapter in a story. Poetry can be a powerful means of storytelling, and the poet in this instance achieves this, telling the story of a forest over time.
The poet took me into the forest where I was engrossed by the images and language throughout. There are some wonderful lines which I have returned to more than once, simply for the pleasure of reading them.
I suggest the writer reworks the punctuation as there are too many unnecessary commas.
RUNNERS-UP
Jack Davis, St Aloysius Catholic College | Vincent Becomes a Scribble
Judge’s comments: This story really made me smile. It was told with such inventiveness, from the interesting title to the creative way in which Vincent begins to change. I loved the image of him unravelling all the way down the stairs. I loved that Vincent makes collages to calm himself, and I found the whole piece to be delightfully original.
Bridgette Lindsay, St Michael’s Collegiate | Anything for You
Judge’s comments: This is a really intriguing piece which I read several times over and understood and gained more from it each time. There is a wonderful lyric quality to the writing, and I also really felt the sense of place and nature throughout. I would love to read on to find out more about what happens to these characters, but I also think this works as a perfectly and slightly mysterious short story of its own.
COMMENDED
Georgia Thurling, St Mary’s College | The Forest of Time
An Le, Hobart City High School | If Only
LUCY CHRISTOPHER – Junior Section Judge
I was very impressed with the wide range of themes, forms, and voices used in these stories. Here we have some extremely deep thinkers, exploring big topics like the formation of the universe or the nature of fate; we also have some admirable experimenters of language and style. Many of these pieces were told in interesting ways – through diary entries; through prose poetry; through different voices. Character shines through in almost all the pieces and also a strong sense of emotion. I was left wondering about many of these stories long after I finished reading them.
Needless to say, it was very difficult to choose the winners. Ultimately, I was drawn to the pieces which kept me wondering and thinking the most. I loved the sense of mystery in all three of the pieces awarded as winner or runner-up. All these pieces kept me guessing and pondering – just as a great short story should do. I loved the sense of fun and wild ingenuity in Vincent Becomes a Scribble, the deep sense of intrigue in Anything for You, and I especially appreciated the slow build of tension and reveal in my winner, The Regular Man.
My sincere congratulations to all these writers of the future. It was a joy to read your work!
Judges
Senior Section: Lian Tanner
Lian Tanner has been dynamited while scuba diving and arrested while busking. She once spent a week in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, hunting for a Japanese soldier left over from the Second World War. Her books, which include the best-selling Keepers trilogy, A Clue for Clara, Rita’s Revenge, and picture book Ella and the Ocean (illustrated by Jonathan Bentley), have been translated into eleven languages and have won two Aurealis Awards for Best Australian Children’s Fantasy, a NSW Premier’s Literary Award, a Tasmanian Literary Award, a Sisters-in-Crime Davitt Award for Best Children’s Crime Novel, and the Russell Prize for Humour Writing for Young People. Lian’s latest novel is Spellhound, a whimsical fantasy for 7-11 year olds.
Junior Section: Lucy Christopher
Lucy is a multi-award-winning and bestselling writer for young adults, children, and adults. Her work is psychological and emotional, often inspired by wild places. Her novels for young adults are Stolen, Flyaway, The Killing Woods, The Darkness and Storm-wake, published in over twenty countries, and her picture books are Shadow and The Queen on Our Corner. Her first novel for adults, Release, has been recently published. Lucy has won many international awards including the Branford Boase, Printz Honor Award, Golden Inky, and the Prix Farniente. She was shortlisted for the Costa Award, Waterstones Prize, Australian Prime Minister’s Awards, and longlisted for the Carnegie Medal. She has a MA and PhD in Creative Writing, and is an experienced speaker at conferences and festivals. Previously, she was Reader in Creative Writing and Course Director at Bath Spa University. She is now Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing for the University of Tasmania.
Peter Sharp Memorial Award (Junior Section): Penny Lane
After a teaching career in Hobart, Canberra and Sydney, during which she wrote two books about teaching, Penny Lane turned to writing short stories and more recently poetry, and has won several awards for both stories and poems. She was a finalist in the 2017 Newcastle Poetry Prize, and most recently won first and third prizes in the free verse section of the 2019-20 Sutherland Shire Literary Competition. She has published a Kindle e-book, Winning Writing: What Works For Me, about her short story writing.
Shortlist Selection: Tracy Lampkin
Tracy Lampkin holds degrees in Arts and Business. She has a particular passion for languages, etymology and the formalities of good writing. Tracy has worked across a range of private industries throughout Australia and in the United States. She reads across a very eclectic range of subjects and is a devoted bibliophile. She despises hanging participles.
